Florida Cuts Hours For Armed Guards At Interstate Stops

Beginning July 1, Private Security Officers Will Be Posted At The Rest Stops Only At Night.

May 25, 1995|By Michael Griffin Tallahassee Bureau Chief

TALLAHASSEE — Armed guards at Florida rest stops, posted with much fanfare after the 1993 slaying of a British tourist, will no longer work days, themselves victims of legislative budget cuts.

Beginning July 1, private security officers will guard the interstate rest stops only at night; lawmakers decided the daylight patrols were a waste of money.

''I really didn't think we needed them full time to begin with,'' said House Tourism Committee Chairman Elaine Bloom, D-Miami Beach. ''It was a giant response in order to eliminate the perception of a problem.''

Bill Dodd, spokesman for the American Automobile Association Clubs of Florida, called the cuts ''regrettable.''

''We're hopeful that the safety of motorists and tourists isn't being compromised to save a few dollars,'' Dodd said. ''If we had our druthers, we'd rather have it 24 hours a day. Hopefully, no one will suffer for this.''

The $6.2 million program began two days after the September 1993 slaying of Briton Gary Colley, who pulled into an Interstate 10 rest stop near Monticello to take a nap. Colley and his companion, Margaret Ann Jagger, were bound for southwest Florida after a trip to New Orleans.

They were shot as they attempted to escape would-be robbers. Colley was killed at the scene; Jagger was wounded and recovered.

It was the ninth slaying of a foreign tourist within 12 months, and headlines across the globe portrayed Florida as a dangerous place to visit. International tourism, part of a $31 billion industry in Florida, began suffering after the slaying.

At the time the security guard program was unveiled, former Commerce Secretary Greg Farmer called it an ''important step to protect tourists and Floridians alike. We will do what is necessary to protect motorists in Florida.''

Chiles spokesman Ron Sachs said the governor was still reviewing the $39 billion state budget and could not comment. ''He puts the safety of motorists and tourists up there as a top priority and has taken steps in the past to ensure that safety,'' Sachs said.

Tourism officials say that international tourism has almost completely rebounded since 1993, with the exception of a still-lower-than-normal number of German visitors.

Four teen-agers from Monticello were arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the Colley killing. Three have pleaded to lesser charges and the fourth, 18-year-old John ''Billy Joe'' Crumitie, is awaiting his third trial Aug. 21 after two ended with deadlocked juries.

Department of Transportation officials who oversee rest-area security said the cuts will save a little less than $2 million.

Tom Barry, DOT assistant secretary for finance and administration, said the agency kept no crime statistics before the guards were hired, so there is no way to tell how effective the program is at deterring crime.